Hands-On The Rolex Rainbow Daytona In Everose Gold

Well, here we are, a few weeks after Baselworld, and I'm still hung up on one watch. Yep you guessed it – the Rainbow Daytona. I wish I could tell you why I love this watch so much, but it's pretty hard to put obsession into words. Let's face it, sometimes words just aren't enough. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but when I first saw the new Rainbow Daytona in Everose my hands began to shake, my palms started to sweat, and the prick of hot tears stung the back of my eyes. It was love at first sight. To say I was alone in my reaction is an understatement – I was given some serious side-eye by my colleagues, but I don't care. This watch is dope, and here's why.

All hail the Rainbow Daytona!

The Rainbow Daytona was first released back in 2012 in both white and yellow gold. It was made in VERY limited quantities, hit cult status quickly and has almost tripled in value since then. This year Rolex surprised us all by dropping the Everose version, and it is spectacular in the metal. The watch is very similar to the two previous versions, but the case and bracelet are a new metal and there are different indexes at the hours, which, despite not seeming like a lot, has a huge impact.

The official name of this watch is not actually "Rainbow Daytona" – this is just what it has been so affectionately dubbed over the past six years. It is officially known as the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116595RBOW, a precious metal chronograph with a sapphire- and diamond-set case. The Rainbow Daytona is made of Everose, Rolex's own alloy of pink gold (a perfect rosy hue), and it is paired with a black lacquer dial, Pink Gold Crystal sub-dials, 36 baguette-set sapphires in the bezel, 56 diamonds set into the lugs and case, and colored sapphire indexes. The watch itself is powered by the automatic caliber 4130 and is waterproof up to 100 meters/330 feet. So yes, if you want to go swimming with this watch, you can. I would not normally recommend such a thing, but I highly encourage it with this watch – can you imagine the sparkle underwater at the beach!? I can.

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The Everose gold really brings out the colors on the bezel. I think there is something about that pink hue that really amplifies everything, making the rainbow bezel more vibrant – which, let's get real, is really what this watch needed. The biggest change (to be fair there are only two) and the one that I am just completely obsessed with is the new set of hour indexes. I mean, have you seen them?! They are now colored sapphires that match the gradient of the bezel perfectly. The previous models featured diamond-set indexes (also set into a black lacquer dial). I think this change makes for a more coherent appearance, even though this watch is still pretty loud. And you know what they say – God is in the details.

The best part for me are the indexes that match the gradient of the bezel.

The best thing about this watch is that it is so Rolex. It's your standard Daytona, a traditional chronograph (a tool watch), decked out in perfectly matched, hand-cut, hand-set sapphires sourced from special suppliers. In case you weren't aware, Rolex has approximately 20 in-house gem-setters and they only use stones of IF (Internally Flawless) quality, meaning they have no inclusions, no flaws, no nothing. Basically, every stone and every setting is perfect because Rolex will settle for nothing less.

Hand-cut, hand-set, IF gemstones. Natch.

But it's not what is new about this watch that makes it so special, but rather the overall impression of the watch itself. A lot of people have poopooed this watch for being gaudy, over-the-top, and tacky, but for me this watch is none of those things. Sure, it's loud, and if you asked me five years ago if I would wear this watch the answer would have been a hard "no," but something over the years changed, and I found myself obsessing over it. I have no idea why, my general tastes tend to be very traditional and classic, but something about the sheer unnecessary nature of this watch is what really gets me (that and the sparkle, duh). But for every part of me that loves this watch for purely aesthetic reasons, there are equal parts of me that are impressed by the manufacturing of this piece.

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Yep.

On the wrist, this watch is every bit as magical as you could imagine. It wears like a Daytona (obviously) and looks like Liberace – and I couldn't love it more. I picture wearing it with jeans and a t-shirt in the summer time, sipping rosé on the beach somewhere fabulous. But everyone is allowed to have their own Rainbow Daytona fantasies, so have at it.

Casual.

As I said, this watch isn't for everyone. Hell, it's not for most people! But I love it for exactly what it is: unadulterated luxury. It's not about wearability, practicality, or functionality. This watch is about fun, and isn't that what watches should be all about? And before you go on to say I am obsessed with Rolex, I will tell you this – if Rolex is King, I am merely a humble subject.

You can buy the Rainbow Daytona (if you can get your hands on one) for $96,900 without the diamond dial and bracelet (yes, that version exists too). You can read more about this watch at Rolex online.